Overcoming Mental Stress of Work Life Balance

Being a professional was never easy. But certain professions bring up a lot of extras on the professional by virtue of its nature and demands. Medical profession is certainly one on the top of the list of careers that are associated with high stress and disturbed work life balance.

Is it all about the profession or is it personal? The arguments are in favor of both. However two factors that put the medical profession on top of the list are:

a) The stakes being very high in the form of human morbidity and mortality and
b) The ethical and moral responsibilities associated with it.

But is it essential that these factors should mess up our work life balance? Then we come to the point that many a people who are not in medical profession also suffer from lot of work related stress and are unable to manage a healthy work life balance. While there are practicing doctors who are able to find adequate time for everything, there are clerks and teachers who constantly complain of lack of time and disturbing stress. In such definition, then every work has the ability to produce stress on the worker and every individual has the ability to work up a healthy work life balance.

The following questions are then important to be answered by each one of us in order to understand the reasons behind our stress.

1. Do I really like and enjoy my work?
2. Am I working in an environment of my choice?
3. Do I find my work monotonous or challenging?
4. Do I plan my day?
5. Do I do adequate delegation of my professional and personal work?
6. Can I keep my work and personal life separate?
7. Do I feel relaxed and happy while I work or tensed and pressurized?
8. Can I say no in situations I do not need to say yes?
9. Do I indulge in any hobbies or extracurricular activities regularly?
10. Can I communicate my feelings and emotions openly or do I feel bottled up?
11. Am I surrounded by healthy personal and professional relationships?
12. Do I exercise regularly?
13. Do I have a regular schedule and method for mental relaxation? 

Honest answers to these questions would be enough for us to locate the real reason behind our mental stress.

Interestingly almost all of us know our answers but are not always willing to put in the efforts to work in the right direction for our healthy lifestyle and cope up with stress and anxiety in the right manner. In such situations, it is much easier to blame the profession, professional demands and professional environment. However, no amount of blame game can make this life worth living for us.

If we observe carefully, each one of the factors mentioned in the questions above have easy and obvious solutions. The bigger question then is- Are we ready to the take the responsibility of our life and make the necessary changes along with the uncertainties and risks involved.
Medical profession is a noble profession and comes with its inherent demands, but nothing in life is a compulsion unless we take it that way. Here are a few more questions this time specifically for the doctors and every other very busy practitioner:

1. Do I do the extra work because I have the passion or because I want to make the extra money?
2. If I have a huge work-load, do I spend enough in employing qualified and responsible people to handle the extra work-load?
3. Do I feel thankful for the abundance of my income or I never feel satisfied?
4. Do I know myself to be a special human being and not just a medical practitioner?
5. Do I know what would be the perfect work- life balance for me?
6. Am I ready to go the extra mile, may be sacrifice some of my expected income and make a choice for a healthy lifestyle?

In between the emergencies, odd working hours, demanding patients, there is always that extra hour to exercise instead of watching TV, there is always the option to refer patients to colleagues, there is always an option to do group practice and share, and there are many more options. The question is how do we plan to deal with stress at work? And what do we want for ourselves.

The Mental Agony of Marks Psychosis

With growing focus on the marks culture, the psychosis in the society is growing.
Parents are getting all high strung and forcing their children to score high and higher irrespective of whether the child has high and equal aptitude for every subject. They are going beyond their means to get them into tuition classes and schools just to ensure high marks.

Students on the other hand are either becoming rebels without a cause or are sharing the neurosis of their parents and the entire society. We are seeing mental stress and tension creeping in at a very early age where it has not place to be.

Hard work is good. But then it needs to be targeted right. Every action needs to have a well understood agreed upon intention and aim. Education in itself has a noble intention to help people gain knowledge and wisdom to live a physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually fulfilling life. Examinations were to help the students to understand where they stand, what are their strengths, what they can do better and how.

However, over the period of time both these noble intentions seem to have taken a back seat. Hardly anyone seems to be interested in thinking long term in terms of fulfillment and happiness. Though these seem to be the primary aims of almost all when asked about, the focus is on the immediate gratification. High marks have become the hallmark of instant gratification that seems to be the trend today. Lower marks represent doom of sorts.

Are there any winners? I doubt. The high scorers are assigned higher and higher targets till the time they lose themselves and their self-esteem drops hugely because of feeling unfulfilled in spite of all the high grades. While those who are not the academic achievers are made to feel a total loss by the society and the family hence they grope to gather a few shreds of their remaining self-esteem.

It is high time that we bring our focus back to what is really important. If all was ok only because of high marks then why do achievers go into depression and struggle with addiction? If not any of these, they do crave for self- identity once the rat race is over and so get into one new race after another.

Competition is good and high grades are great. But they are not the sole bearers of happiness and prosperity. There is a whole world that is open for all. Something interesting is waiting for each of us. However, the parents and students need to understand the limited role of marks in life like that of everything else and instead understand the importance of focus, attentions, learning, an application of knowledge for a fulfilling life. Let the children explore in your guidance. If they are moving ahead with knowing they will progress the best.

Marks or no marks, there is a beautiful world waiting to be explored by all equally. The school grades do not decide our success or failure. We have too many examples to prove this. Need is to open our eyes and hearts to this faith and celebrate whatever results we stand with today. Tomorrow can be made more fulfilling from any stage. Provided we keep the channel open with them.

Spreading the Belief of Mental Health – Are You Right or Happy

Spreading the belief of mental health is to understand the essence of mental peace. One very common cause of disturbed mental peace is ‘Arguments- our essential tools to prove ourselves right’. Sometimes we need to stick our head out and use our best skills to prove that our way of thinking is correct. But how many times this need to prove ourselves right is actually legitimate? How many times we are actually in a situation where if we do not win the argument some disaster would happen?

Go ahead and take a break from whatever you are doing, even while reading this think of a few recent arguments you have been into with friends, family or colleagues. Use all your skills to prove to yourself that it was utmost essential to win that argument for the genuine good of the society or at least one person.

Not many. I can bet on it. Now that you take a second look at the argument you may even feel that considering the bitter outcome of the argument, it would have been a sane thing to even totally avoid getting into it in the first place.

Now we can see it but what happens when actually an argument starts? The ‘ego’- the battered little thing inside us that has been trying to prove to ourselves that we are the people of importance, starts taking over. The ‘ego’ sees it as an ‘opportunity’ to prove something and then there is no looking back. The more the opposition the more the ego takes it all personally and more than the point in question it becomes important for us to prove that “I” am right and “YOU” are wrong. The stress hormones rise, bitter feeling settle in, leaving us in an exhausted state of emotional strength and mental health.  

Surprisingly, winning an argument is seldom a happy feeling. Rather we have created adversaries, if not enemies, in the process. There are hurt feelings that often lead to mental illness like anxiety, depression, and stress if not healed on time. In order to prove one silly point we might have inflicted some personal insults. Our voice raised and the body posture becoming defensive and aggressive at the same time.

Argument won- friend lost- mental peace disturbed and mental health at risk.

Many arguments turn out to be the last conversations with important people.

And the suffering is worse than the one of losing an argument. Because now you have won but the price has been so high and personal that you cannot afford to celebrate. So you suffer and then find reasons to justify all that happened and try to invent ways to push the blame on the other person.

Net result - LOST. Nothing positive is achieved in majority of arguments.

So next time instead of winning, try to keep the focus on love and learning. Watch your words, tone, gestures and feelings. The moment there is a sign of negativity- QUIT. It is not worth it.

After all, we can always settle on “agree to disagree!” Maintain our dignity, respect, mood andrelationship and give an opportunity for the same to our partner. 

Choosing a Rewarding Career in Sports Medicine

Sports medicine is a branch of medicine that deals with physical fitness, treatment and prevention of injuries related to sports and exercise.

What sort of work is available in sports medicine?
(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_medicine)

Sports medicine specialists focus on the evaluation and non-surgical care of athletes and other active people. Sports medicine specialists are concerned with all problems -- injury and illness alike - related to athletics and physical fitness. They are especially well suited to care for people with medical problems (for example, asthma, diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis, or obesity) who wish to begin an exercise program, improve their fitness, and reduce risks to their health.

Sports medicine has always been difficult to define because it is not a single specialty, but an area that involves health care professionals, researchers and educators from a wide variety of disciplines. Its function is not only curative and rehabilitative, but also preventative, which may actually be the most important one of all.

Education:

Few Institutes in India offer courses in Sports Medicine and most of them are for students after MBBS or graduation in Physiotherapy.

Some of the educational institutes for sports medicine are:

1. National Institute of Sports, Sports Authority of India, Affiliated to Baba Farid University of Health Sciences Faridkot and Recognized by MCI)
Two year Post Graduate Diploma in Sports Medicine

2. Sports Authority of India, Patiala, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar.
Masters in Sports Medicine
Ph. No. +91-183-2258802-09 Extn. 3019

3. Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports - Patiala, Punjab
Post Graduate Diploma in Sports Medicine

4. Susruta Institute Of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation - Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
Master of Physiotheraphy - Sports Medicine and rehabilitation

There are many sporting teams that employ a sports or athletic trainer who assists on a daily basis with basic knowledge in massage, strapping and response to acute sports injuries.

Job prospects:

The term Sports Medicine involves:

• Maintaining an athlete’s fitness and physical well being
• Assessing and treating injured athletes,
• Advising and educating on prevention strategies

Sports medicine career finds its prospects in various setups:

• Hospitals
• Sports Clubs
• Individual teams

Adopting Assam Rifles as Your Choice of Career in Paramilitary Forces of India

The Assam Rifles are one of the Paramilitary forces of India. Since its inception in 1835, over the course of its history, the Assam Rifles and its predecessor units have served in a number of roles, conflicts and theatres including World War I where they served in Europe and the Middle East, and World War II where they served mainly in Burma. In the post World War II period the Assam Rifles has expanded greatly as has its role. (Refer the link - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assam_Rifles)

Assam Rifles conduct counterinsurgency operations in the northeast and other areas where deemed necessary, under control of the army. During peace and ‘proxy war’, ensure the security of the Indo-China and Indo-Myanmar borders. During the war, rear area security in the TBA.
(Refer the link - assamrifles.gov.in/profile.aspx)

Entry: Recruitments for the Assam Rifles is done for various posts:

• Constables
• Havildar (Clerks)
• Medical Officers and Specialist doctors
•  Veterinary Doctors

Eligibility:

For Constables & Clerks:

• Age Limit: Candidates age must be between 18 to 23 years as on 01-08-2013.  Upper age is relaxable by 3 years to OBC and 5 years to SC/ST Candidates.
• Educational Qualifications: Candidates must possess Matriculation or 10th class pass from a recognized board/university.

For Technical Trades:

• Age Limit: Candidates age must be between 18 to 23 years as on 01-08-2012.  Upper age is relaxable by 3 years to OBC and 5 years to SC/ST Candidates.
• Educational Qualifications: Candidates must possess Matric or 10th class pass with Diploma/ITI, English, Math & Science with Physics/ Biology, Graduation with Madhyama in Sanskrit or Bhusan in Hindi.

The recruitment rally consists of three stages:

I. Physical Efficiency Test (PET)

• 5 KM Run. All male candidates have to successfully complete 5 KM run within 24 mins and for female candidates it shall be 1.6 KM (1600 M) within 8 mins 30 secs.
• Long Jump. Long Jump of 11 feet has to be cleared by the male candidates and for female candidates it shall be 9 feet. Each candidate will be given three chances.
• High Jump. High jump of three and a half feet (3.5 feet) has to be cleared by the male candidates while for female candidates it will be three feet. Each candidate will be given three chances.

Note: No physical efficiency test will be conducted for Ex-servicemen.

II. Written Tests

• Written Test. Candidates who qualify in the PETs will be required to appear in a written test.
• The written test will consist of only OMR based objective type multiple choice questions
• Candidates applying under compassionate appointment scheme of the Government will not be required to appear in the written test. (Sons/ legally adopted son during the lifetime of the AR persons who have laid down their life during ops.)

III. Trade Test

• To be conducted for various trades.
• A practical test will be conducted for trade candidates appearing for enrolment.
• To qualify, the candidates will have to pass in the physical, medical and the written tests separately.

Career Advancement: A candidate has the opportunity to grow up till the level of Commandant while in service of Assam Rifles. Officers are appointed by direct appointment by the central Government from other armed forces.

• Director General (Army officer on deputation)
• Inspector General (Army officer on deputation)
• Deputy Inspector General (Army officer on deputation)
• Commandant
• 2IC (Second In Command)
• Deputy Commandant
• Assistant Commandant

Choosing A Career in Indian Air Force

It is the air arm of the Indian armed forces. Its primary responsibility is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during a conflict.

As an officer in the Indian Air Force, you lead a challenging, adventurous and rewarding life. As you grow in the organisation, you get many opportunities along your way, like a chance for specialized training in India and abroad, option to study further, possibility to get posted in Indian missions abroad, amongst others. You become an integral part of the adventurous and challenging life Air Force offers you.

Commands

The Indian Air Force is divided into five operational and two functional commands. Each Command is headed by an Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief with the rank of Air Marshal.

The commands are:

Operational Commands

1. Central Air Command (CAC), headquartered at Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh
2. Eastern Air Command (EAC), headquartered at Shillong, Meghalaya
3. Southern Air Command (SAC), headquartered at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
4. South Western Air Command (SWAC), headquartered at Gandhinagar, Gujarat
5. Western Air Command (WAC), headquartered at Subroto Park, New Delhi

Functional Commands

1. Training Command (TC), headquartered at Bangalore, Karnataka
2. Maintenance Command (MC), headquartered at Nagpur, Maharashtra

Career Options in Indian Air Force

Broadly the Air Force has three branches with further sub-streams which give an opportunity to choose a career of one’s own choice:

(a) Flying Branch
      · Fighters
      · Transports
      · Helicopters
(b) Technical Branch
      · Mechanical
      · Electronics
(c) Ground Duty Branch
      · Administration
      · Accounts
      · Logistics
      · Education
      · Meteorology
Entry to Indian Air Force

There are different ways of entry to Air Force:

STEP I
1. For NDA and CDSE:

NDA

Eligibility Criteria

    · Age - 16 ½ to 19 years(at the time of commencement of course)
    · Nationality - Indian
    · Gender - Men only
   · Educational Qualifications - 10+2 with Physics and Mathematics. Appearing final year students can also eligible to apply.

CDSE (COMBINED DEFENCE SERVICES EXAMINATION) (FOR MEN ONLY)

Men can enter through this mode of entry and will get a Permanent Commission.

Eligibility criteria:

    · Age - 19 to 23 years (at the time of commencement of course)
    · Nationality – Indian
    · Marital Status - Single
    · Gender - Men only.

Educational Qualifications
    · Graduate (Three Year Course) in any discipline from a recognised University (with Physics and Mathematics at 10+2 level) / BE / B Tech (Four Year Course).
   · Final Year/semester students are also eligible to apply, provided they produce Degree certificate issued by the University as per the date stipulated in the advertisement.
    · No Percentage Bar for CDSE entry.

Written tests are conducted by UPSC only. For details visit www.upsc.gov.in

2. Technical Branch: Entry into the Technical Branch is through two schemes, both via AFCAT

UNIVERSITY ENTRY SCHEME(UES)

    · For candidates studying in Pre-Final year of B-tech/BE degree course
    · For men only. Grant of Permanent Commission.
    · Educational Qualifications: The candidate must be currently studying in Pre-final year of BE / BTech degree course with choice of subject as mentioned above. There must be No backlog / arrears of papers of previous semesters at the time of SSB Testing.
     · On completion of degree, minimum 60% of marks in aggregate in all papers put together are mandatory.

AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING COURSE

    · After completion of Engineering degree or while in your final year/semester of Engineering
    · For both Men and Women. Permanent Commission (for men) / Short Service Commission (For men and women)
    · Marks - Must have scored a minimum of 60% marks in aggregate in all the papers put together in any one of the qualifications listed
     · Final year students are eligible to apply provided they do not have any present backlog at the time of SSB testing and they produce provisional/ original degree issued by the University as per the date stipulated in the advertisement.

AFCAT – Air Force Common Admission Test.
For all entries other than NDA and CDSE and for all branches, candidates have to undergo the AFCAT.
The test is conducted twice a year in February and September. The test is conducted all across India by the Indian Air Force

3. NCC entry

Air Sqn NCC Senior division ‘C’ certificate holders are to apply through DG NCC/ respective NCC Air Squadron. They would then appear for AFCAT

4. GROUND DUTY

General Eligibility Criteria for Ground Duty Branches

    · Age - 20 to 23 Years for Graduates and 20 to 25 years for Post Graduates (at the time of commencement of course). Upper age limit relaxed upto 26 years for Law Graduates (3 Years Course), upto 27 years for CA / ICWA / M Ed / Ph D.
   · Marital Status - Candidates below the age of 25 years must be Unmarried.
   · Nationality - Indian
   · Gender - Both men and women.

As a Graduate/ Post Graduate you can join as an officer in any of the following Ground Duty Branches

ADMINISTRATION BRANCH

Permanent Commission (for Men) / Short Service Commission (for Men & Women)
Responsible for the efficient management of both human and material resources. Some of the officers of the Administration Branch are selected and trained to carry out the following duties also:
    · Air Traffic Controller – Involves maintaining an orderly flow of traffic and airspace management.
    · Fighter Controller – Involves close contact and supervision between the air and radar for effective airspace management.

Educational Qualifications

Graduation degree in any discipline with a minimum 60% marks in aggregate in all papers put together
OR
Post Graduation degree / equivalent diploma in any discipline with a minimum 50% marks in aggregate in all papers put together.

ACCOUNTS BRANCH

    · Permanent Commission (for Men) / Short Service Commission (for Men & Women)
   · Responsible for efficient financial management of funds. You will also act as internal auditor to ensure a zero-defect audit from outside agencies.

Educational Qualifications

Graduate Degree in Commerce (B Com) with a minimum 60% marks in aggregate in all papers put together
OR
Post Graduate Degree in Commerce (M Com) / CA / ICWA with a minimum 50% marks in aggregate in all papers put together.

LOGISTICS BRANCH

     · Permanent Commission (for Men) / Short Service Commission (for Men & Women)
    · Responsible for materials management of all Air Force resources. You would ensure efficient supervision of inventories, and involve in procurement processes of various ranges of equipment.

Educational Qualifications

Graduation degree in any discipline with a minimum 60% marks in aggregate in all papers put together
OR
Post Graduation Degree/ equivalent diploma in any discipline with a minimum 50% marks in aggregate in all papers put together.

As a Postgraduate you can join in the following Ground Duty Branches.

EDUCATION BRANCH

Educational Qualifications - Post Graduate Degree in any discipline with a minimum of 50% marks in aggregate in all papers put together.

METEOROLOGY BRANCH

As a Meteorology Branch Officer you would be involved handling the latest satellite imagery and state- of-the-art monitoring equipment, you would render specific advice to the operators on all aspects of weather.

Educational Qualifications

Post Graduate Degree in any Science Stream / Mathematics / Statistics / Geography / Computer
Applications / Environmental Science / Applied Physics / Oceanography / Agricultural Meteorology / Ecology & Environment / Geo- physics / Environmental Biology. All candidates should have scored a minimum of 50% marks in aggregate in all papers of Post Graduation put together and should have studied Maths and Physics in Graduation with minimum of 55% marks in both subjects.

STEP 2 - SSB (Services Selection Board) TESTING

For those who have successfully cleared Step 1, you will receive a Call letter to report to any one of the Air Force Selection Boards located at Dehradun, Varanasi, Gandhinagar and Mysore.

At the Air Force Selection Board (AFSB), you undergo following tests in order to ascertain your suitability and gauge your potential as an Officer in the Indian Air Force.

    · Officer Intelligence rating Test
    · Picture perception and Discussion Test
    · Psychological Tests are written tests that are conducted by a Psychologist.
  · Group Tests are interactive indoor and outdoor activities that are a combination of mental and physical work.
    · Interview involves a personal conversation with an Interviewing Officer.

Career Advancement

Once recruited the candidates grow through the following stages with excellent perks and an adventurous, fulfilling, disciplined lifestyle.

Commissioned Officers

    · Flying Officer
    · Flight Lieutenant
    · Squadron Leader
    · Wing Commander
    · Group Captain
    · Air Commodore
    · Air Vice Marshal
    · Air Marshal
    · Air Chief Marshal
    · Marshal of the Air Force- honorary rank
    · Junior Commissioned Officers
    · Junior Warrant Officer
    · Master Warrant Officer
    · Warrant Officer

Non-Commissioned Officers

    · Airman
    · Leading
    · Aircraftman
    · Corporal
    · Sergeant

Importance of Choosing the Right Career

We often wonder why there can be only one Dhirubhai Ambani, only one Narayan Murthy, only one Bill Gates, only one Albert Einstein and the likes? People take good education and work hard all their lives and yet manage to get through an average life collecting money for themselves and providing for their families. Somehow we do not take enough pains to think beyond that they might be extra ordinarily genius or purely in luck.

A deeper insight can show us something very obvious. All of these Achievers and many more like them have worked for and put their efforts where their natural aptitude and inclination was. It is a no- brainer to understand that when we do something that we are natural with, we produce extraordinary results.

Unfortunately, we choose the career that has given good results for others. So if a big brother has bagged a cushy job with engineering degree then we believe that engineering as a career is the best and so on. When we do not try to match our nature, our personality our aptitude to the demands of the career we enter into a land that is not for us. Then either we have to put in extra efforts just to sail through or we pass through the life with utter lack of any passion just because everyone does so and that we have to.

I can never over emphasize the importance of choosing a career that we are made for. Here I present for you my favorite story to illustrate my point. Hope it helps

A mother and a baby camel were lying around, and suddenly the baby camel asked, “mother, may I ask you some questions? Mother said, “Sure! Why son, is there something bothering you?

Baby said, “Why do camels have humps?” Mother said “Well son, we are desert animals, we need the humps to store water and we are known to survive without water”. Baby said, “Okay, then why are our legs long and our feet rounded?” Mother said, “Son, obviously they are meant for walking in the desert. You know with these legs I can move around the desert better than anyone does!” Baby said, “Okay, then why are our eyelashes long? Sometimes it bothers my sight”. Mother with pride said, “My son, those long thick eyelashes are your protective cover. They help to protect your eyes from the desert sand and wind”.

Baby after thinking said, “I see. So the hump is to store water when we are in the desert, the legs are for walking through the desert and these eye lashes protect my eyes from the desert then what in god’s name are we doing here in the Zoo!?”

Friends, students, parents and teachers, please take a note that these are mere animals and do not have much at stake, but we are people with real emotions, feelings, desires, aspirations and needs. If we do not choose a career suitable to our natural traits, we would spend most of this beautiful life feeling like we are living caged in a zoo often wondering what all beautiful and big things we could have achieved in this gifted life.